Best Buys for May

It's officially been spring for a while now, even though it doesn't feel like it! But now that the temperatures are heating up, so are the shopping deals.

We've got both Mother's Day and Memorial Day sales this month, but to save you have to know where to splurge and what to skip.

Jewelry, chocolates, or flowers: We've actually seen these things increase in price during the first week of May so skip tradition for the woman who brought you into this world!

Roses and flowers can triple in price right now, so if you must, make sure you search for a promo code or coupon. But Mark Locastro with dealnews.com said the key to a deal is buying outside the box for mom!

"See what's on sale and get the most bang for your buck," he said.

Look for store or sitewide sales on fluffy towels, bedding, glassware or gardening gifts. Just stay away from summertime staples like outdoor furniture, which is at its highest price of the year.

It's still cold outside, but it is prime season to buy patio furniture, spring is here, summers around the corner and prices reflect that demand.

Patio sets and grills prices are at their lowest at the end of the season.

Since it's almost the end of spring, light apparel is very appealing. Spring clothing has been on the racks for two months now and retailers want to make way for summer clothing," said Locastro.

Look for markdowns of up to 60 percent but Locastro said, wait until the end of the month to save even more on Memorial Day!

"For example, last year we saw Last Call from Neiman Marcus offer sitewide sales for 40 percent off and this came on top of already discounted clearance items," said Locastro. "So when Memorial Day sales come around, you see a lot of stores doing this -- apparel, home goods, and home retailers -- these stores offer the double the number of discounts stacking coupons."

On the technology side, it's a good idea to skip anything made by Apple this month. Why?

"Apple is holding their annual worldwide developers conference in June so that means maybe they'll be introducing a new Macbook Air and a new Macbook Pro," he said. "So if you're looking to buy any of those devices, wait, because after this conference those prices on those devices will drop."

Since PC sales are lagging though, deals abound in that department.

"If you're looking to buy a device, look for the "Intel Haswell Chip," he said. "That's their budget chips which is going for about 300 to 380 which is a fantastic deal."

Microsoft Windows 8 is also offering rebates this month.

There's not too many TV deals in May, with the exception of 60-inch TVs. "60-inch plasmas are going for about 600 dollars," he said.

One note: Beef is at a 30-year high because of drought, just in time for barbecue season. Consider cheaper protein options for now.